House panel approves making veterans medal ceremonies with governor optional

BATON ROUGE -- The House Judiciary Committee wasted little time Thursday in approving a bill that will give veterans around the state a choice of how they want to receive their state Veterans Honor Medal.

The Times-Picayune/Chris GrangerDozens of Louisiana Veterans Honor Medals on a table waiting to be awarded during a ceremony in Chalmette in 2010.

In less than two minutes and with no discussion, the panel voted unanimously for House Bill 28 by Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite. The bill now goes to the House floor for debate.

Edwards, who is the chairman of the Democratic Legislative Caucus and has crossed swords with Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in the past, told the committee the bill gives the veterans three options in receiving their medals for military service:

Having the medals mailed to them.

Delivering the medals to the local office of the state Department of Veterans Affairs to be picked up.

Having the medals presented to them in a formal ceremony which is usually presided over by Jindal.

Edwards and other lawmakers have complained that the ceremonies are not held on a regular basis and some veterans who have signed up to receive them have died before a ceremony could be arranged.

"Whatever the veteran prefers would be the way it is," Edwards told the committee. Edwards said when the veterans get the application form for the medal, they can check off a box indicating the manner in which they want to receive the award.

Edwards said that if veterans check off the box indicating they want to have the medals mailed or sent to the local veterans affairs office, the awards must be delivered within 45 days.

If the bill passes the Legislature, it would become effective when Jindal signs it into law.

Robin Keller, a spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said her agency supports the bill "as it now stands."

Keller's boss, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Lane Carson, sat silently in the front row of seats during the committee meeting and did not testify for or against the bill.

Carson said several weeks ago after Edwards filed his bill in advance of the session that the legislation was unnecessary because his agency is already mailing out medals -- if that is the preference of the veterans.

He said at the time that the option has been available since February.

Edwards said the agency agreed to make the option available last year but did not give the veterans the choice on how to receive the medal until February.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.